I rise to my feet and shoulder my bag, rotating my wrist in a circle. As I bend my hand back toward my forearm, a sharp pain shoots up my arm. I’m sure it’s from that puck I caught. Normally, I’d report it to the team physical therapist, but with the power out, everyone is leaving. I don’t care to stick around. I can easily just pop a couple of pain killers, ice it, and get some rest. It should be better in the morning.
I’m a couple of steps out of the locker room, and I’m bombarded by my favorite little person. “Uncle Jack!” Rigsby races out of the dark hallway, and slams into me with a giant hug around my midsection.
I chuckle, not surprised by his resourcefulness and ability to find me in the dark. Tom’s profile and phone light appear around the corner. “How’d you get back here with the power off?”
“They were escorting everyone out the main entrance, so we snuck down the back stairs,” Rigsby proudly declares.
“Nice, but not really.” I motion toward the back exit. “We’d better get out of here before someone catches you. Everyone is in a terrible mood.”
“Are you going home?” Tom asks.
“Eventually.” I say, bending my wrist again. Another shot of excruciating pain rockets up my arm. It’s not getting better. “I might have to stop at the general store for some painkillers. I don’t think I have any at my place.” I raise my brows in question. “Why? What’s up?”
“Oh, can I come?” Rigsby blurts out, his eyes growing wide with excitement.
“To the general store?” I raise my hand and scratch the back of my head, confused about why he’d be excited about that. “Isn’t it a school night?”
A laugh rushes out of Tom’s mouth. “He’s trying to get out of going to the hospital. He likes his new baby brother and all, but he’s not a fan of crying. He wanted me to ask if he could go with you instead. He said something about wings and root beer.”
My tastebuds instantly awaken at the suggestion. “Ah, sure. It’s right next to the general store. We can grab what I need and then eat. I can drop him off at your house when you are ready to go home.”
“Are you sure?” Though his words are drenched in a tone of apology, the look he gives me is full of appreciation.
“Not a problem. I’m happy to help out. I’m sure you and Jackie are both exhausted.” I summon Rigsby. “Come on, Bud.”
He’s all smiles as he syncs his steps with mine. I wave to Tom and turn as I’m parked across the lot. “I’ll see ya later.”
“Thank you,” he calls over his shoulders, rushing off in the opposite direction. The breeze has picked up, and it’s much colder than it was earlier, causing me to pick up my pace. Rigsby is so comfortable in my car that he climbs right into the backseat without help, and I start the engine and pull out.
“So, how was school today?” I eye him in the rearview mirror. “Did the teacher ask why you missed the field trip?”
“She never said a word about it,” his tone infuses with excited inflections. “It was career day, and Aiden’s dad came—he’s a cop.We got to see his police dog, and that was super fun. And Bella’s dad came too—he works in a band, so he gave us all guitar picks.”
“Bella’s dad was there.” It slipped out before I had a chance to think. “What kind of band is he in?”
“It’s a real rock band.” Rigsby slams his face down into a head bang.
“Um.” I resist the urge to pepper him with questions, but it’s odd. Kaci made it seem like Bella’s dad wasn’t overly involved with Bella. While I’m considering all the things that are odd, my mind circles back to how extremely odd it was to see them at the game tonight.
Sure, I invited them, but it didn’t seem like they were taking me up on my invitation. Kaci did not give off the impression that she even remotely cared about hockey. Plus, she was sitting at the very top of the arena when there were plenty of seats closer to the ice. She mentioned a few times that money is tight right now. Would she really spend money to go to a hockey game if that’s not her thing? Unless there was a reason…
All these thoughts race through my head, and before I know it, I’m parked in front of the general store. Rigsby’s already getting out. One thing about him—he reminds me a lot of myself, always a go-getter and asking for exactly what he wants. I already know what he’s going to ask for when I pull out my wallet and hand him the few single bills I have. “You can have one candy.”
He scurries forward but pauses to open the door for me, which makes me smile. Rather than running directly to the candy, he sticks by my side as I head straight to the first aid section. “What did you say you needed?” He asks, scanning the rows as we pass.
“I need some over-the-counter pain pills or something.” I pause in the center aisle where a giant table of clearance items takes up most of the room. I have to literally turn sideways to get around it. It’s just piles of unorganized merchandise—lots of summer items, notebooks, crayons, and markers. “Do you needany school supplies?” I motion to the rows of colored glue. I’m half tempted to get some art supplies for my place, especially since Rigsby’s been spending more time there lately.
“Nah, my mom gets me all that.” He steps to the side so he can get around the table too, but his gaze goes to the end of the adjacent aisle. “Oh, that’s the perfume Bella’s mom was looking at.” He points to a row of peach boxes.
It’s at the end of the aisle I need, so I slip past and grab the pills. When I return, he’s still standing in front of the perfume. “Do you need some?” I joke.
“Ha, ha.” His fake laugh is intentionally flat, and he turns and follows me to the check out.
“Mission accomplished.” I pay for my items and lead the way out the door. “Now, grab your candy so we can go eat.”
Rigsby feeds my dollars into the vending machine. He has the code for his favorite candy memorized and punches it in. As soon as the machine drops his candy, he grabs it and we leave, heading to our favorite spot to eat.
At Red Barn, the hostess recognizes us. “How’s it going today?” she asks as she gathers silverware and menus.
